Since 2001, Medway Council's Social Regeneration Team has been helping residents deal with anti-social behaviour and rubbish being dumped in alleys behind homes. An initial response to these problems was to provide selective alleygating and encourage residents, through a self-help pack, to address the problem.

Following persistent complaints from residents, Medway Council has, in partnership with Kent Fire and Rescue Service and Medway Community Safety Partnership, pioneered  a number of gating schemes in All Saints, Brook Lines and Twydall. Kent Fire and Rescue Service and Medway Community Safety Partnership provided initial funding of £20,000 from their Building Safer Communities Fund. A major improvement on the initial scheme is the active participation of all affected residents and their willingness to sign up to a process of periodically clearing, gating and maintaining the alleyways in subsequent schemes. This has helped restore the pride of residents in their neighbourhoods and improved the quality of their lives.

The All Saints Neighbourhood Renewal scheme - a case study

In January 2005, as a result of requests from local residents to the All Saints Community Project and the All Saints Residents' Association , six alleyways backing on to 175 terraced homes were identified to be cleared of rubbish and improved to deter anti-social behaviour.

The project was managed by Medway Council and organised by the All Saints Community Project, in line with recommendations from:

• the residents' association;
• Kent Police;
• Kent Fire and Rescue;
• Medway Council’s Community Safety Street Team.

Current and future schemes

The success of the scheme has prompted the council to spend £150,000 between 2007 and 2012 to supplement the self-help efforts of residents and the contributions made by its partners. The knowledge gained from the previous schemes has ensured that current and future schemes are likely to become a self-sustaining programme.